Troopers: No mechanical defect in fatal I-87 bus crash

Investigation continues into incident that killed girl, 14, from Quebec

By Paul Grondahl

Updated 10:20 pm, Wednesday, August 6, 2014

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Emergency personnel investigate the scene of fatal bus crash near exit 29 of the Northway in the southbound lanes Friday morning, July 18, 2014, in North Hudson, N.Y. One person was killed and 55 injured. The bus was traveling from Quebec to New York City. (Tom Brenner/ Special to the Times Union) less

Emergency personnel investigate the scene of fatal bus crash near exit 29 of the Northway in the southbound lanes Friday morning, July 18, 2014, in North Hudson, N.Y. One person was killed and 55 injured. The ... more

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Emergency personnel investigate the scene of fatal bus crash near exit 29 of the Northway in the southbound lanes Friday morning, July 18, 2014, in North Hudson, N.Y. One person was killed and 55 injured. The bus was traveling from Quebec to New York City. (Tom Brenner/ Special to the Times Union) less

Emergency personnel investigate the scene of fatal bus crash near exit 29 of the Northway in the southbound lanes Friday morning, July 18, 2014, in North Hudson, N.Y. One person was killed and 55 injured. The ... more

Troopers: No mechanical defect in fatal I-87 bus crash

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North Hudson

A State Police investigation found no mechanical defects that might have contributed to the Canadian charter bus crash last month on the Northway that killed a teenage girl and sent dozens of injured passengers to five area hospitals.

State Police said the cause of the crash remains under investigation but did not elaborate on their finding in a statement Wednesday.

The data recorder, or "black box," was recovered and is being reviewed as part of the investigation, State Police said.

The crash killed Chelssy Mercier, 14, of Quebec. She was traveling with her mother and was partially ejected from the bus and pinned by the wreckage. Two families of Canadians driving behind the bus pulled over, rushed to the crash site and desperately tried to free the girl along with first responders and passengers, but she could not be revived.

Passengers crawled through a smashed front windshield or through an escape hatch in the roof and many walked away without serious injuries despite the fact that there were no seat belts.

The unidentified 61-year-old Canadian driver, who was not injured, had passed three recent safety and fitness inspections, State Police said. He was interviewed extensively and tested for drugs and alcohol after the crash, State Police said, although test results have not been made available.

More Information

The bus was headed on a weekend trip to New York City and left Trois-Rivieres (Three Rivers), Quebec, north of Montreal, early on the morning of July 18. The 2008 Prevost bus owned by Autobus Fleur DeLys Inc. of Charny, Quebec, crashed through a guardrail, rolled onto its side and slid down an embankment in the southbound Northway lanes between exits 30 and 29 in Essex County at about 8:15 a.m. The bus had covered about one-third of its intended 455-mile trip when the crash occurred.

The 55 passengers, mostly French-speaking Quebecois, included several family groups ranging in age from 6 to 54. The massive response by dozens of local, state and federal officials, as well as Canadian authorities, included several translators.

There have been previous bus crashes in that area of the Northway, including a 2006 bus crash that killed five people, including the driver. "I thought we had another mass casualty incident," State Police Major Richard C. Smith Jr. said at a news conference near the crash site. "I would say we were fortunate we only lost one life."